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Regional Undergraduate Mathematics Conferences

Past Conference Highlights

The MAA keeps detailed data on past conferences supported by RUMC grants. A summary of this information is available on the Past Conference Data page.

The RUMC program actively encourages conference organizers to try new things and experiment with the format of the conferences they run. In addition to the student talks, student poster sessions, and keynote speakers that are the mainstay of most RUMCs, this flexibility has led to some particularly successful innovations that have made conferences more relevant to students, and increased future attendance. The best of these are listed here, and anyone interested in running a future conference is encouraged to read through them and consider trying them at their own conference.

Career Information

RUMCs are a great opportunity to get students interested in pursuing careers in the mathematical sciences, and give them the information they need to make more informed career decisions. Past RUMCs have effectively used the following types of sessions to disseminate career information:

Career planning workshops

Displays on research opportunities in the mathematical sciences

Presentations on internship opportunities

Math Competitions

Conferences can be an opportunity to use games and competitions to engage students directly with mathematical concepts, and encourage them to approach difficult ideas from unexpected angles. Past RUMCs have offered:

Math Jeopardy and other game shows

Problem-solving competitions

Student discussions on their COMAP papers

Social Events

As with any conference, offering a full social and networking program at an RUMC will increase the value that participants derive from the conference, and boost future participation. Past conferences have successfully used the following kinds of events and strategies to boost attendance:

Door prizes

Formal banquets

Networking functions

Puzzles and games tables

Speaker Panels

Past RUMCs have featured panels on a diverse range of topics, exposing students to different perspectives on topics such as:

Careers in the mathematical sciences

Mathematical science in business, industry, and government

Mathematical science research opportunities

Perspectives on graduate study in the mathematical sciences

Please contact Michael Dorff, the Program Director, at mdorff@math.byu.edu with questions about the RUMC program.

The MAA Regional Undergraduate Mathematics Conferences program is supported by National Science Foundation grant DMS-0846477.